Episode Report Card Sars: F | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Baby blues
By Sars | Season 4 | Episode 19 | Aired on 04.24.2001
Joey checks her watch...broods...picks up the pregnancy test stick veeerrrry slowly...looks at it...it's negative. Wow. My socks just blew clear off my feet. Not. Duh, of course she's not pregnant. She smiles in spite of herself, vastly relieved.
The gang -- Grams, Jen, Gretchen, and Joey -- come to check on Dawson at the hospital. Grams is holding a teeny flower in a teeny tiny pot. I love those. Dawson's freaking out; everyone reassures him. The OB dashes past him and into Gale's room, and he tries to get some information, but she ignores him, and he flaps his arms and flounces off to the lounge. Joey follows him, and Dawson flops onto a couch and muses on the nature of death and life and broadening (whatever), and Joey says that it's not just him: "I think...the stakes have been raised for everyone." Dawson asks if she and Pacey have talked about Pacey accompanying her to Worthington next year, and Joey says wanly that they haven't discussed the future much. Dawson thinks they should: "It has a peculiar way of unexpectedly becoming the present." Gee, thanks, Zen boy. Not. Joey peers at him, then tells him that Gretchen is crazy about him. Dawson sulks about the job thing. Joey asks if there's no way to "bridge the gap." Dawson hoped to find a way, but he doesn't think it's going to happen. Joey considers, then says, "Dawson -- it's not what I thought it was gonna be." What? "Sex. Isn't that what you're talking about?" Dawson laughs uncomfortably and tries to head her off, but Joey wants to tell him something, namely that sex just magnifies whatever is already present in the relationship: "I mean, if there's a problem, it gets bigger, and...if there's closeness, you get closer." I hate Joey these days, but she makes a good point here. Joey observes that Dawson and Gretchen seem pretty close, probably closer "than a lot of people who are having sex." As Dawson tries to formulate a response, the OB appears and tells him that there's someone who wants to meet him. "Really?" Dawson and Joey both make "yay!" faces and bolt to the labor room.
The Flash hovers over Gale, who has the little Leery in her lap, and she looks awfully composed and well-groomed for a woman who just spent sixteen hours in labor. Everyone gathers around to admire the new arrival. An ovary croons "Forever Young" as congratulations abound. Gale says she called out her daughter's name to get her to "join" the world, and the name -- of course -- is "Lillian." It's a lovely name, but I wish we'd had a bit more lead-up about Gale's friendship with Joey's mom; it would have made the choice a bit less cheesy. Still, Joey and Bessie exchange a happy look, which is sweet. Gale hands Dawson the baby. Incredibly, the baby neither starts screaming nor spits up as a result. Dawson introduces himself to the baby and welcomes her to the family. Sniffling. Ovary. Joey strokes the baby's hand. Pan out through the blinds.